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Roaddawgz
LOCATION AND DROP-IN HOURS 146 Leavenworth Street (between Golden Gate and Turk, in the basement of Hospitality House, please ring doorbell) San Francisco, CA 94102 Tel: 415-923-9085 Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays, 2pm-7pm http://home.roaddawgz.org/ Homeless Youth Drop-In Center, Voice of Homeless Youth Our mission is to connect homeless youth with each other and with the world at large by providing a space for young people living on the streets to develop their communication skills and see themselves as part of an empowered community. By exploring the stories and ideas of “road dogs” through writing, art and multi-media expression, we are bringing these often ignored and misunderstood voices into the public forum. Roaddawgz voices are the sound of the underground – the railroad yards and the freeways, the back roads, alleys and underpasses. These are the places where you’ll find unsung revolutionaries. These stories have something of the utmost importance to relate. They are the reverberations of a marginalized society that holds within itself the seeds of an alternative way of life. Young people who choose to be homeless are strong, perceptive and do not buy into force-fed mainstream media and other commercial sound bites. The wayfarer’s experiences highlight a quest for freedom that most people never even begin. So, all you Roaddawgz, don’t let capitalism and materialism be the only voices present. There are hungry minds out there that want to know the other facets of life, and by sharing your stories, you can align with one another to help those less fortunate or perhaps a little less brave to find their own ways to freedom. What made you want to embark on this journey in the first place? Did you feel restless, stifled, unfulfilled, unacknowledged by everyday life? What have you found since being on the road? Read on…your story may already be mirrored here. And if it isn’t, we would like to hear it. WHAT WE DO * Conduct regular outreach in San Francisco to encourage young people living on the streets to express themselves through writing or art. * Provide one-on-one editorial counseling at our drop-in center at Hospitality House, a homeless services agency located in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District * Offer multi-media workshops and/or training–from journalism to web design to photography to theater—for homeless youth to develop their communication skills. * Publish the writing and art of homeless youth on our roaddawgz.org website and in YO! Youth Outlook, a 25,000 circulation youth magazine distributed among high schools, libraries and community-based organizations throughout the Bay Area. * Develop partnerships with other homeless youth-serving agencies and organizations to strengthen cross-sector service networks that address a wide range of needs. CONTRIBUTE STORIES TO ROADDAWGZ If you are or have been homeless and are under the age of 25 or identify yourself as a “youth” we want to hear from you! Please submit stories, poetry, reflections or art to Program Director/Publisher Machiko Saito at roaddawgz@pacificnews.org or in person at the address below. We want to know what your experiences and ideas are about living on the streets, from the personal to the political. Each week one or two questions or writing topics will be posted on the website, and we encourage you to address these in addition to your own ideas. Please specify which question you are responding to. ROADDAWGZ is more than a drop-in center for homeless and traveling youth. It is a non-judgmental sanctuary to many, where people can write, draw, use a computer, talk on the phone, meet fellow travelers and potential squatting partners, share information, obtain resources and services regarding: health care, psychological counseling, drug rehabilitation, employment experience and opportunities, food and clothing. ROADDAWGZ welcomes all to be a part of a common safe place for developing and sharing literary, artistic and life skills. Work created by homeless youth is published weekly on our website and periodically in zines, magazines and other publications. Roaddawgz has also published a paperback compilation called the “Freedom Manual” with over four years of writings and art now available at bookstores in San Francisco, New York, online, and at the Roaddawgz drop-in space. Stories published on the website will be awarded $20 in cash (art and poems$10) and showcased on our homepage. Stories that are chosen for reprinting in other publications, including Pacific News Service, NCM and NAM Wire and YO! Youth Outlook are eligible for additional payment of $50 to $150. Please allow at least one week turnaround for your story to be posted on the website and/or payment. If you’re in San Francisco feel free to drop-in; volunteers are also welcome. People out of the area can submit work by e-mail or mail. THE FREEDOM MANUAL The Freedom Manual, released in the summer of 2005, is a collection of personal narratives, art, photography and practical advice about living “outside the system” written by and for homeless youth. Find out how other road dogs learned to build a squat, ride the rails, and deal with the pain of finding and losing relationships on the streets. Contact Machiko Saito, roaddawgz@pacificnews.org or 415-923-9085 for more information or to purchase your copy. Roaddawgz was founded in 2000 by a group of homeless youth in San Francisco and is a project of the non-profit Pacific News Service. Category:Youth Services Category:Resource Category:Resource